Monday, March 29, 1999 Published at 18:21 GMT 19:21 UKHealthDoctor 'had breakdown' over smear blundersSome slides showing cancer were not picked upA scientist who tried to draw attention to flaws in the cervical screening programme at Kent and Canterbury Hospital suffered a nervous breakdown when his efforts repeatedly fell on deaf ears.

The efforts of chief biomedical scientist Neil Woodward to head off a potential scandal are featured in the BBC television programme Disaster: A Cancer in the System.

Eight women died after developing cancer despite being given the all clear by Kent and Canterbury Hospital, and dozens more have undergone hysterectomies.

In total, 90,000 slides have had to be re-examined because of errors in the screening programme.

Dr Woodward joined the staff of Kent and Canterbury Hospital's cytology department in January 1993.

He soon noticed that there was a problem with the way that the laboratory was screening cervical smear slides.